Norfolk, VA 23502 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Norfolk, VA?
Around 03/23 is the usual last spring frost, about 207 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/16, about 239 frost-free days later.
Zone 8b (15 to 20°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Norfolk, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 11 weeks of growing season left in Norfolk before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
03/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/07 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Norfolk compares
Norfolk's growing season runs about 239 days, ranking 8,736 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within VA, it ranks 54 of 1,178.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Norfolk's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Norfolk can differ from the 23502 normal.